


Deserving

by Lilmizzhugable13



Series: The Doug and Evie Collection [1]
Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Conflict, Cute, F/M, First Dates, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Internal Conflict, Self-Doubt, adding as i go, first I love you, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2018-10-25 14:42:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilmizzhugable13/pseuds/Lilmizzhugable13
Summary: Doug practiced his apology for Evie for days, but now that he finally got her to listen to him, nothing goes as planned. Still, will he be able to convince her of what she truly deserves (One-shot turned collection)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this in 2015...
> 
> Yeah. A lot of time has passed. My writing ability has definitely grown since then, but a lot of people seem to like this one, so I decided to post it here. It's not edited, but that's because I just don't want to face the cringiness yet. Still, I hope you like it. Please be kind to me on this collection. I was just 15 when I started this. Thank you.
> 
> EDIT (6/8/2018): Originally, I had this fic as a separate piece in the collection; however, I realized now how incredibly messy that was. I didn't like how it was organized, especially since all these fics are connected together. There are some random ones in here that do deserve its own separate update, so I've reorganized this collection. If you need any clarification, then let me know! Thanks!
> 
> Btw, this still isn't edited. Not ready to face the music yet. Oh well.

Doug knew exactly what to say. He had it all planned out. First, he'd apologize desperately, telling Evie exactly how stupid he was and how he was the biggest jerk in the land (yes, even bigger than Chad). Then he'd tell her how much he wanted her back in his life, supporting his notion with just how lost and empty his life has been since she has refused to even glance at his direction. Finally, if she still wasn't convinced, he'd express just how important she was to him by confessing his feelings. Doug hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

He had practiced all weekend long in the mirror, pretending his reflection was Evie and trying to convince her to accept his apology. He tried not to stutter as much and made his voice come off strong. He basically tried to impersonate Ben, and although he still has that slight nasal tone in his voice, Doug was able to create a believable façade.

Now it's the day after the coronation, and he was prepared. Doug stood in front of her closed door, taking deep breaths. _You can do this,_ he told himself. _Just pretend you're in front of your mirror._ With his courage gathered, Doug raised his hand and strongly knocked on the door. The footsteps he heard matched the beating of his heart he felt in his ears, but there was no backing out. He needed to do this. He can't wimp out now.

But as soon as the door opened, Doug was speechless. She was just so beautiful.

It wasn't until Evie bumped past him that Doug jerked from his trance. "Evie, wait!" He yelled, running after her. For someone in heels, Evie knew how to walk fast in them.

Doug steadily shortened the distance until he was directly beside her. "Evie," he said, grabbing her arm in an attempt to stop her. Evie jerked out of his grasp.

"I have nothing to say to you, Doug," she said harshly, increasing her speed until she was practically strutting.

"I know I screwed up, but please listen to me," Doug pleaded, having trouble keeping up with Evie's pace and long strides.

"Nothing you can say will make this right," Evie dismissed him, finally out-walking him and turning around the corner. Doug slowed down, trying to catch his breath. His stamina was definitely his greatest weakness; still, he'd climb mountains and sail stormy seas for Evie. Being a little out of breath was a small sacrifice he was willing to make.

Doug sprinted. Just as Evie was going to open the door to go outside, Doug made it, closing the door shut and placing his drumsticks between the handles. Evie pulled on the door relentlessly, trying to force it open, but her lack of strength told her it wouldn't be possible. Not even Jay would be would be able to force the doors open.

She frustratingly sighed before turning around, attempting to walk away until Doug blocked her way. "Let me pass, Doug."

"Not until you listen to me," Doug denied. Evie was practically seething.

"I swear I'll have Mal curse you," she threatened, trying to force her way past the human wall and failing.

"Go ahead, do whatever you want. Just listen to me first," Doug pleaded. He was already tired from running, so a few more shoves from Evie would allow her to pass and he'd never get his chance. Thankfully, Evie didn't realize that and instead stopped. She sighed, looking at the wall next to her and avoiding any eye contact with Doug.

"Fine," she relented, making her way to the wall and sitting down on the floor. "You have two minutes."

Doug nodded and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "I'm so sorry." Evie scoffed, wavering Doug's courage a bit. Still, he continued, "I really am. You have no idea how guilty I feel. I can't even begin to describe how awful this is for me." He stopped at Evie's bitter laughter.

" _You_ feel awful?" She said, making eye contact with him for the first time. "How do you think I feel?"

"I know you feel worse, but-"

"No! You don't know anything!" She interrupted, getting on her feet and facing Doug. "You were the one person I thought I can trust. You were the one person who actually made me feel like something other than a prize to be won. I actually felt as if I could be something more than a pretty face, but then you tossed me aside once you got what you wanted."

"I know, but-"

"Your two minutes are up," Evie said, her shoulder hitting Doug's hard enough to bruise. Doug grabbed her arm as she walked past him, and his heart sang when she didn't struggle. She just stood there, tense and shaking.

They remained still and silent for a few moments. Doug's plan had been destroyed. He was completely lost in what to say. His actions had been much more severe than he thought, but it wasn't until Evie spoke that he realized just how severe. "You're just like Chad."

Her voice quivered, and Doug broke down.

"I am _nothing_ like Chad."

"You used me to get what you wanted," she argued, yanking her arm back and hugging herself. She walked to the other wall and slid down, placing her head on her knees. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "I was your pawn and nothing more."

Doug, on the other hand, couldn't breathe. He had tried so hard to treat Evie differently than Chad the minute she arrived at Auradon Prep. He spoke to her instead of seducing her. He defended her instead of throwing her under the bus. But still, he did abandon her when he was finally got what he wanted and was accepted into the popular crowd. He did just what Chad did.

Doug sighed, walking over to her and sitting down next to her. "You're right," he said quietly, suddenly aware of their public position in the middle of the hallway. Then again, everyone was in class right now, just like they're suppose to be. Still, he used his indoor voice, "I did do what Chad did to you, and I am so sorry for that. I never wanted to make you feel like this."

"Well you did," Evie mumbled from her knees.

Doug sighed again. "Yeah, I did." Well, this wasn't exactly how he pictured their talk happening, but at least they're talking instead of shouting. Right now, though, it's as if the hallway was empty. No sounds came from them, and Doug was unsure whether it was good or bad, but he had nothing to say, so they remained in silence.

Eventually, the silence dragged on for so long that Doug was practically looking for any excuse to create noise. "Is there anything I can do to make this up to you," he asked, getting no response from Evie. "Anything?"

Evie finally looked up at him. "Why do you care?" He couldn't read the expression on her face, but Doug knew this was a serious question that needed a serious answer. She wasn't teasing him or mocking him; she genuinely needed to know, so how was he suppose to tell her anything but the truth?

"Because I love you." Evie's laugh crushed his heart.

"Of course you do," she said bitterly, starting to get up until Doug grabbed her hand. Her skin was so soft, so perfect that he couldn't help but stroke it with his thumb.

"I do love you, but not because of your looks," he said, pulling her down. She sat again, but a bit farther and refused to look at him. Still, she never moved her hand from his. "Sure it's what got my attention, but what's kept it is you. Your personality, your voice, your intelligence, your perseverance, how you treat your friends. Everything." He continued to list numerous things, things that, to Evie, wouldn't of garnered attention from anyone else, yet Doug was practically fixated on them.

"You're just so perfect to me in every possible way, even when you aren't trying to be," Doug continued, deciding not to hold back. After all, there's only two outcomes: Evie forgiving him or ignoring him for the rest of their lives. Might as well go big. "And I know you can have anyone in the world, but I can't help it. I love you."

The silence that followed after was deafening, but it was unavoidable. Doug had ran out of words and Evie was unresponsive. Instead, Doug preoccupied himself with her hand, marveling at how perfect it was. Dark, soft, smooth skin that contrasted perfectly with her black nail polish. Her hand looked like porcelain, something so fragile, and if Doug didn't know her better, he would've compared her to a doll. But he did know her better (something he was thankful for) and knew she deserved more than a comparison to a doll. A doll held nothing to her, not only in beauty but in so many other things like kindness, intelligence, grace, fierceness...

"And what makes you think I would love you back?" Evie said, letting the words flow out of her mouth. "You said it yourself. I can get anyone I want, so why would I settle for you: a geek with no title or castle or riches." Evie hated herself for saying it, but she couldn't help herself. A large part of her (the evil part) wanted to see him hurt. She wanted him to be just as humiliated and shamed as she was, but the small good side of her felt mortified at the harsh words. That was why she started at the wall in front of her, not meeting Doug's eyes as she held back tears. Crying was something Evie never did. It would mess up her make up and leave her looking like a raccoon with red, swollen eyes, so she tried to avoid it whenever she could. Somehow, in this situation, it was unavoidable.

Doug tried not to take her words to heart, but it was useless. Each word put a knife through his heart, and suddenly, he started to realize his place. He was no prince. He wasn't anywhere in line for a throne. His dad had been the stupidest of the Seven Dwarfs (everyday Doug is grateful he got his mother's brain). He was a band geek who gets tired at a 10 meter sprint. He didn't deserve her.

"You're right. I don't deserve you. Not at all," he admits, gripping her hand firmly as he tried to stand his ground. "But that doesn't mean they deserve you either, those princes who only want a trophy wife that looks good by their side and in a crown. You deserve someone who would slay dragons and travel the world for you. You deserve someone who loves every aspect of you and won't desert you." The last part made Evie turn her head to Doug, allowing him to see the tears gathered in her eyes. One black tear slipped from the corner, leaving a trail of washed-out eyeliner which Doug wiped away gently with his thumb. "You deserve someone you wouldn't be afraid to cry in front of."

Evie crumbled into Doug's shirt, letting out sob after sob. She cried about everything: her mother, how much of a jerk Chad is, the mean things people have said about her, her promiscuous reputation, Doug's betrayal. She cried, not caring about her smudging make up because she knows Doug won't care. She cried because she needed to.

Doug wrapped his arms around her, letting his lanky arms comfort her, much like his parents did to him. "I know I'm severely below what you deserve, but can you give me a chance to prove to you I can be good enough?" He asked. Evie nodded in his shirt, causing Doug to smile.

Apparently, there was an unforeseeable third option: Evie accepting not only his apology but him as well.


	2. Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie finds herself thinking about their relationship and second-guessing every aspect of her entire life.

Evie felt the butterflies in her stomach, and she was absolutely mortified.

She stared down at the test in front of her, looking at the problems but not really seeing them. It was strange. Usually, her mind would forget about her surroundings, focus on the objective of this test, and immediately speed through problems. Today, though, her mind seemed to think other things were more important than mastering the Empirical Formula.

Evie's heart stopped at the sigh Doug released next to her. He was so close to her. So close.

This was the closest they had been since yesterday's encounter. After Evie finished her emotional escape, she looked at Doug and ran away to her room, locking the door in case he tried to follow her. Thankfully, he didn't since he seemed to realize she needed her space.

She spent the rest of that day in her room alone. Mal had been on another date with Ben that afternoon, so it was just her and her sewing kit. Doug came knocking on her door a couple of times, but Evie ignored his attempts to see her, a feeling of embarrassment washing over her. She didn't know what to do. She had never been in a situation like this before, so the most normal thing to do was hide away.

She never left her room. She never opened the door that night. Mal never returned, but then again, she was rarely at their room. She spent most of her time with Ben. Although Evie felt jealous at the amount of attention Ben was receiving, she found herself grateful to be alone at the time. It was just what she needed to get her ducks in a row and recollect herself.

Now, as she sat next to Doug, that all seemed useless. She could feel herself crumbling in his presence.

She could practically hear every breath he took. Every time he unconsciously swung his right foot and accidentally brushed up against hers, he felt like melting into a pile on the floor. Her breathing shallowed as her heart beat increased. What was this feeling? Why was she overreacting to every little thing he did? Why was she suddenly so aware of him?

_'Because I love you.'_

Evie let out a small sigh. She couldn't forget yesterday, no matter how hard she tried to. Something that passionate and intense was something that refused to be ignored.

Evie snuck a peek of Doug next to her from the corner of her eye. He was wearing one of his signature plaid shirts, something she found endearing. However, today it wasn't tucked in, and he had on jeans instead of his usual khakis. He didn't have his band shoes on (she heard they didn't have practice today) and instead wore regular tennis shoes. His hair was styled as usual, but this time, Evie's hand twitched at the want to run her hand through it.

When he started to turn her way, she focused her gaze back at her blank test, holding her breath. She felt incredibly hot, an unfamiliar heat rising to her cheeks. Is this what blushing was? She'd heard the term many times but never actually experienced it. If this was blushing, then she couldn't understand what was so great about it. She felt suffocated and claustrophobic, her own clothes feeling too tight and heavy on her. She couldn't find the flustered, giddy feeling most of the girls on the Lost gushed about.

Evie raised her left hand to brush her hair behind her ear and set it back down, immediately regretting it when it brushed against Doug's right hand. She cursed in her head, but didn't move her hand from its proximity to his. She could do it. Just grab his hand and convey what she was thinking to him. Doug was a smart guy; he'd be able to figure out what had her deep in thought. What was so wrong about letting him know? After all, they were...

Evie's eyebrows furrowed. What were they? He had told her he loved her, and she does feel something for him. She didn't know what that something was, but she knew it was something more than friendship. Love? A crush? Desperation? Desire? Who knew, but does that make a difference?

"Yes, it does," Evie whispered out loud, gathering the attention of Doug. He turned back to her just as she was looking at his direction. They made eye contact for the first time since their encounter, then Evie quickly looked back at her paper, breathing hastily.

What would her mother say? Well first, she'd probably die from shock. Then, she'd come back to life and berate her for even speaking to him. Doug, the son of Dopey, one of Snow White's many allies. It was ridiculous. Not only that, but he also held no title, owned no castle or kingdom, and wasn't rich. He was a commoner.

That was unacceptable. Who knew what her mother would do to her. She'd probably lock Evie in her room until she got her head screwed back on straight. Or she'd feed Doug a poison apple.

No, she wouldn't. Would she?

Evie broke out of her debate when Doug slipped his hand into hers, causing Evie to hold her breath. She heard a sharp intake coming from in front of her. She looked up to see Chad glaring at their intertwined hands, steam practically rising out of his ears. Evie gripped Doug's hand just to spite him, visible goosebumps showering her skin. Her heart beat increased even more, and she felt like she was going to explode.

Unfortunately, Doug let go too soon for her liking, grabbing his pen again and continuing on with his test. Evie released the breath she was holding and clenched her fist, only to hear the rustling of paper. She looked at Mr. Derey, and when she noticed he wasn't looking, she inconspicuously brought her hand under her table to her lap. She looked at the small, folded piece of paper and opened it, reading the words written in Doug's messy handwriting.

_You do realize you only have 10 minutes to finish the test._

Evie's head snapped to the clock mounted on the wall and choked on her breath. Doug was right; she only had 10 minutes to solve 40 problems that would at least take her 20 minutes to do. She immediately crumpled up the paper in her fist and powered through the problems, her brain trying to speed the answers onto the paper. Still, only so much could be done without magic. Before Evie knew it, time was up, and she barely finished eight problems. They were definitely right of course, but she would still have to take a make-up exam.

As everyone gathered to leave, Evie stayed behind, gathering her things slowly. Doug looked over at her before handing in his test to Mr. Deley, leaving the classroom. Once the students dwindled down, Evie made her way over to her teacher and handed her incomplete test.

"I didn't get to finish my test," Evie said, getting straight to the point. She winced at her teacher's disapproving face.

"And why is that. I gave you plenty of time to finish," he scolded.

Evie sighed. "It's because I was distracted. My mother's ruling is today, and I'm just worried on what decision has been made for her," she lied. Although, she wasn't really lying. Her mother had crossed her mind during her internal dilemma. Luckily, Mr. Deley didn't see through her white lie.

"Very well. I understand. I'll let you retake the test Friday, after school." Evie expressed her gratitude before gathering her things and making her way out the door.

Her eyes met with Doug's as soon as the door opened. He was leaning against the wall, his backpack on the floor. He was waiting for her. As soon as the door closed, he made her way over to her, standing a little too close to her, but she wasn't complaining.

 _'You just find yourself a prince with a big castle, and a mother-in-law wing, and lots and lots of mirrors!'_   Her mother's words came to Evie, causing her to scowl at them. Before she could go too deep into her reverie, Doug cleared his throat.

"You know, if you furrow you eyebrows too much, you'll get a wrinkle in your glabella," he joked, tapping the space between her eyebrows. Evie laughed at his words. Her mother would say the same thing to her, but he sounded less cynical and critical than she would, something Evie almost cried at. Ignoring what her mother might say, Evie laced her hand between Doug's, hugging his skinny arm to her body.

"Come on. Let's go to the bleachers. I want to see Jay and Carlos practice a bit before the sentencing," she told him, which of course Doug agreed to. He picked up his backpack and started towards the Tourney Field, making easy conversation about the test they just took.

Evie felt the butterflies in her stomach, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.


	3. Girl's Night In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal noticed something going on between Evie and Doug, and now she's decided to trap and interrogate Evie in the best way she knows: a girl's night in.

Mal had a plan. It was risky and was most likely to end in disaster, but if Mal actually cared about the negative consequences of things, then she wouldn't be who she was.

Their dorm was locked from the outside. Carlos had tried barging in one time, but gave up when he found out it was Chocolate Night at the cafeteria. Jay tried to break the door down, but one barrier spell from Mal and Jay limped his way back to his dorm.

It was a girl's night in which meant no boys allowed.

Mal had asked Ben for a favor in advance without giving any of her intentions away. Ben, being the gallant boyfriend he was, didn't pry and chose to trust his girlfriend, getting her all the supplies she needed.

And that was how her and Evie found themselves surrounded in boxes of pizza, exotic fruits, candies and chocolates, and seemingly endless amounts of makeup.

Evie knew something was up as soon as she walked through the door. Their bed frames were completely gone, leaving only their mattresses and a fortress of pillows and blankets on the floor. The windows were completely shut and blinded (which didn't matter since it was already getting dark), luminescent magical orbs flying around their room being their only source of light. A pile of movies were sitting in the corner, and although Evie only caught a glance of the covers, she guessed they were historical stories.

Mal was already waiting for her, a pile of pajamas on her arms. "Hey! Go change into these and come out. We're having one of our nights."

Her voice was too nice, too pleading that Evie was skeptical. "What brings this on?" She asked, genuinely concerned. The last time they had one of their nights was a little while after they became friends. Their nights had been a weekly occurrence to escape their smothering mothers and their overbearing expectations, but once they started to try to really make their mothers proud, that's when their nights became history.

Now, Mal wanted to have one without warning.

Mal started to push her towards their restroom. "I just wanted to spend time with you. Come on. I'll even let you give me a makeover."

Evie was still doubtful, but giving Mal a makeover was worth whatever price she will have to pay. Once she reached their bathroom, she took a shower and changed quickly. Apparently, it wasn't quick for Mal who was staring at the door.

"No need to hurry, Evil Queen," Mal said impatiently. Evie scoffed.

"Whatever you say, Maleficent," she snarled back, causing both girls to chuckle. Mal stood to play a movie. Soon after she sat back down, the words _'King Eric and Queen Ariel's Story: the Little Mermaid'_ popped up. Unfortunately, the only "movies" Auradon had were historical ones about their royal families. Despite them choosing good, they were fairly new and held grudges against a few queens out of habit. Fortunately, neither had a personal vendetta against Ariel. She was relatively liked in the Isle, mostly because everyone hated Ursula and her hopes of accomplishing a tyrannical rule over the Isle. Of course her plans ended horribly. No one could ever out-evil Maleficent.

Not that it mattered, anyways. Ursula was universally hated which made Ariel likable in comparison. Still, it didn't stop the girls from criticizing her actions.

_"I'm 16 years old! I'm not a child!"_

"Oh shut up," Mal complained, throwing some popcorn blindly at the screen.

"Don't move! You'll mess up my handiwork," Evie scolded, fixing Mal's head position to her preference for applying eyeliner. She'd been dying to try a dramatic makeup on Mal for the longest time because of her pale complexion, and now, she finally had the chance.

"I'm sorry, but she's really annoying," Mal said, trying not to move. Although she didn't have a single clue on how difficult it was to do a winged liner, she believed it was because of Evie's scolding. "I mean, think about how much damage she could've done."

Once Evie finished, she moved towards the last thing Mal needed: lipstick. She decided to put on a bold red, something that would complete her night look. "Now that I think about it," she said while putting lipstick on Mal, "Ursula was actually pretty nice. Like right now, for example. The deal said Ursula would supply a pair of legs to Ariel. She actually got a nice pair of legs that matched her body type and everything. She could've easily been given horse legs or something." Once she finished, she motioned for Mal to roll her lips together.

"You see. She actually makes Ursula look nice at one point," Mal said, doing what Evie told her. "I have no idea how she's considered a hero. She almost killed her entire species because of one guy."

Evie shrugged. "It's a hero thing."

"I wonder if we'll have to go through something like that now that we're the good guys," Mal joked. Evie laughed.

"Well you already went through that with the coronation. I hope I never go through mine," Evie said. Mal saw an opportunity but decided against taking it. It was too soon to ask. Instead, Mal grabbed a new box filled with sweets.

"Try one of these," she told Evie. "They're called brownies."

This continued for a couple of hours, with Evie trying something new on Mal, and Mal showing Evie a new treat. Mal decided against using makeup on Evie, knowing she'd just end up making her look like a clown. Mal figured she should try her luck in hair, thinking it would be a less difficult task. Evie knew just exactly how wrong she was was but decided against saying anything. Instead, they devoured the greasy pies of pizza, rich chocolates, and cavity-inducing sweets which they balanced out with tangy fresh fruits. Delicacies that were supposed to be savored were scarfed down in seconds. Eventually, they made their way to the epitome of their conquest: jelly doughnuts.

"These are so good!" Evie exclaimed, practically forcing down the one in her hand and reaching for another. Mal laughed.

"Ben showed these to me on our first date. Trust me, I scarfed through these things so fast that I'm surprised he's still attracted to me," Mal joked, causing another fit of giggles to pass. Through their laughter, Mal saw an opportunity. "Has Doug ever shown you something new?"

A sense of fear trickled down Mal's spine. Had she been too rash? Was she too quick in mentioning Doug? Was she smooth enough? Sneaking around Evie was hard. One wrong move and she immediately shuts down.

Fortunately, Evie didn't see through Mal's blatant attempt to discover the truth and joked, "Well he did introduce me to the fascinating history of Fairy Godmother's wand."

Mal forced a laugh. "And?"

"And... what?" Evie asked, confused. Mal wanted to scream.

"Nothing else?" She pressed cautiously. Evie shrugged.

"Like what?"

Mal stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "I don't know. Ben showed me incredible things we don't have on the Isle. Had Doug done the same to you?"

She saw Evie's smile fade away, the light in her eyes dim, and her body tense. Mal cursed herself.

"Mal..."

"E, I know love can seem scary, but trust me. It's worth the risk," Mal quickly argued, trying to ease Evie. Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

Evie looked down at her hands that were covered in calories, the wonder and comfort in it long gone. "I don't love him," she said, not meeting Mal's gaze.

"You think you don't love him," Mal countered. "And you need to make up your mind. You can't string him along."

"Don't you think I know that?" She sneered, getting up and pacing around. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Mal was about to answer when a knock on the door was heard. The two looked at each other, waiting for another indication of someone outside. The person knocked again before saying, "Evie?"

Evie sighed. She looked at Mal who nodded before walking towards and opening the door. There stood Doug still in his band uniform. Apparently on Chocolate Day, there's an entire rally that occurs for the holiday. Yes, it was considered a holiday in Auradon. Heroes sure do like their chocolate.

Because of the rally, the band needed to play during the rally until the event ends. Looking at the time, Evie realized the event wasn't finished yet.

"Doug? What are you doing here?" He tried to walk in until he walked into the barrier, stopping him effectively. He stepped back and looked questioningly at her. Evie shrugged. "No boys allowed."

Doug smiled. He reached into his pocket, pulling out Evie's magic mirror. She gasped. "You left it in chemistry."

Evie reached out and grabbed it. "Thank you. I can't believe I didn't notice it gone."

Doug shrugged. "Maybe it's because you don't need it anymore."

Evie smiled, staring down at her mirror. Her heart fluttered, and the butterflies returned to her stomach. She looked back at him. "Yeah, maybe so."

Doug gave her a goofy grin. "I'd love to stay but I need to get back."

Evie nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Doug confirmed. "Goodnight Evie."

"Good luck, Doug," she offered, one he graciously took. Playing for hours straight isn't the easiest thing to do, especially when you play the trumpet. With that, he waved before starting the undoubtedly long walk back to the cafeteria. How he was able to even get the time to walk here and back was a mystery to her. Evie was touched at this small gesture.

She closed the door behind her, wanting to put her back against the door and wallow in the tingly feelings she felt throughout her body until she noticed Mal smirking. Evie felt herself falling from Cloud 9. "I can't," she said. Mal groaned. "I mean, you knew you loved Ben almost immediately after dating him. Some of us aren't that lucky."

Mal couldn't disagree. She was lucky that she found someone like Ben. He was considerate, loving, and most importantly understanding. He understood Mal was new to love, so he eased her to it. He never made her feel under appreciated or like a villain. He always held her above him, always put her needs before his. He was selfless, something Mal never experienced. She was worth everything to him. He saw something behind her cold front from the very beginning. He believed in the descendants before even meeting them. He truly loved Mal, even if he got a little help from magic.

A little lightbulb turned on above Mal. "Who needs luck when you have magic?"

Evie started to shake her head. "M..." She warned, but Mal wasn't giving up on her idea.

"No, stay with me on this one," she continued. "The magic mirror helps you find things. Maybe it can help you find your true feelings."

Evie wanted to completely deflate the notion. Magic was tricky. Love was difficult. Working both together will only end in disaster.

 _But it worked with Mal,_ Evie's aching heart argued. Mal was lucky, once again. She became a heroine, and although Evie was technically a part of the good side, she could hardly call herself a hero. She was a villain, and villains don't have a true love.

But what if love, what if Doug is what she needed to be a hero? Asking the mirror would tell her, but what if the question was invalid? What if the mirror showed her a different person? What if she still saw herself?

"I don't know," Evie confessed. Mal placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It doesn't hurt to try, E." Easy for you to say, Evie bitterly thought. "I mean, it said Chad was the biggest jerk in the land, and we all know that's true," Mal offered, laughing and relieving some of the tension in the room. True that did happen by chance, but Evie was positive the odds wouldn't be in her favor for a second time.

"Just try, E. For Doug," Mal pleaded, making Evie look down at her mirror. She was right. If Evie couldn't do it for herself, she had to do it for Doug. Even now, she was stringing him along. While she wasn't completely uninterested in him, she also wasn't giving her 100% in their pseudo-relationship. She needed to know whether her feelings were genuine. She needed to know if she was in love with Doug and not with how he was treating her.

Evie gripped the mirror painfully, raising it to her level. She saw herself in the reflection. Evie remembered the time she used to ask that question when she was little with her mother's main mirror. In the beginning, when she was a toddler, she used to see things like castles and kingdoms. When she became an adolescent, she saw her mother. A few months ago, she saw herself.

Evie's arm started to shake and lowered a bit. She was scared to see what she saw now.

_For Doug._

She cleared her throat and raised it back to her level. "Magic mirror in my hand, tell me who I love most in the land." A few seconds later, a figure appeared in the glass, and Evie started to tear up.

Mal smirked. "Told you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just have to say, I wrote this right after Descendants came out. You can imagine how much I freaked out when I saw Ursula had a role in Descendants 2.


	4. How Everyone Found Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How everyone found out about Doug and Evie. And by everyone, I mean EVERYONE.

Jay was the first to ask.

The four and Ben were all sitting at their lunch table, mindless chatter flowing through them. Mal and Ben were talking amongst themselves, including the others at times when they're discussion was less private. Jay and Carlos were discussing what plays they wanted to practice after lunch. Usually, Evie would be speaking to Doug about a new breakthrough in magic while inconspicuously holding hands under their table, but Doug had band matters to attend to, so Evie was left to studying on her own.

When Dude ran from Carlos's lap to catch a stray ball, Carlos immediately ran after him, abandoning Jay and their conversation. With no one else to pick on, Jay turned his attention to Evie.

"Where's bank geek?" He asked.

Evie didn't look up from her textbook. "That band geek's name is Doug."

"Oh, so it's Doug now?" Jay teased, causing Evie to roll her eyes. She turned the page sharply, writing down something on her notebook. "So what's going on between you and _Doug_ ," Jay continued, adding emphasis on Doug.

Evie looked up. "What's going on between you and Lonnie?" She challenged back. Jay smirked.

"Well no need to get feisty on me," he laughed, Evie joining him a moment later. Despite the serious nature of their conversation, there was a lighthearted tone in their words instead of malice. It shouldn't be surprising since Jay practically oozes charisma.

The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch. Evie gathered her things and started up ahead, knowing Mal would would wait until the very last minute to leave Ben; it would be useless to wait for her, not when Evie wanted to go to her dorms as soon as possible to continue sewing her newest dress.

"Hey, E?" Jay called, walking next to Evie. She looked at him. "I'm happy for you guys."

Evie smiled at his consideration. "Thanks, Jay." Jay smiled back. Before things got a little too corny for either of them, they both said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Mal continually asked for updates in their relationship, even though time had hardly passed in their relationship. They'd barely been going out for a week, but that didn't stop Mal.

"So how are you guys doing?" She asked. Evie rolled her eyes.

"M, you asked me that three hours ago," she said exasperated.

Mal scoffed. "Sorry, I'm... It's just that I... I just feel so different," she confessed. "We both have loving boyfriends who would do anything for us. We both have something we've never experienced before." Evie stopped sewing, shifting her focus directly to Mal. "It's something I want to talk about, and there's no one else I can talk to besides you."

Evie was touched, so touched it made her want to hug Mal, but despite Mal being more open now, she wasn't really affectionate. Instead, Evie opted to tease her, saying, "Well look at you being all emotional."

"I know. I want to puke." Both girls laughed. "Ben has started to rub off on me."

"Well Doug has also," Evie contributed. "He's trying to teach me how to play the trumpet."

"Really?" Mal said, shocked. Evie nodded. "First he turned you into a geek and now a band geek?"

They both laughed again. Their conversation lasted for a while before both girls had other things to attend to. Soon, they fell into that routine of a daily girl talk, every talk lasting longer than the others.

The only bad thing was the girls couldn't control the volume of their voices, which apparently was loud enough for someone who just happened to pass by their room to overhear, and so the rumors began to spread. Evie noticed the whispers in the halls, the stares in class, the attention they garner after school.

Eventually, Carlos came to ask her.

"Hey, Evie?" He asked. Evie turned her attention from Doug to Carlos. He was still in his practice uniform, even though tourney practice ended 15 minutes ago. Doug and Evie had been sitting in the bleachers, relaxing. Doug had just finished band practice and was understandably tired and sweaty, so Evie suggested they rest at the bleachers for a while before hitting the library; however, a while turned into quite a while, and before either of them knew it, it had already passed several hours.

"Hey Carlos. What's up?" She asked while holding Doug's hand, something Carlos seemed to pay close attention to.

"So it's true?" He asked.

Evie nodded. "Yeah, although don't believe most of the rumors. They're not exactly accurate."

"Of course I'm not. Why do you think I'm here asking you?" He joked.

"Wait, what rumors?" Doug asked, confused by the whole conversation. At that same moment, Jay shouted Carlos' name from across the field, motioning for him to hurry up since they were most likely going for pizza and were waiting for him. Carlos nodded, quickly said goodbye, and left Evie and Doug to themselves.

"You haven't heard them?" Evie asked once they were alone, genuinely surprised. After all, the people spreading them weren't exactly being subtle.

Still, Doug shook his head. "I guess I haven't been paying attention," he mused. "It doesn't bother you?"

"Why should it? This isn't exactly the first time I've been the center of gossip," Evie confessed, brushing her hair over her shoulder. Her dress was starting to get a little too tight and uncomfortable, but that was the price for beauty. Her chest, though, seemed to be too confined, small pains hurting her heart. "Why? Does it bother you?" She asked, a little worried of what his answer could be.

Thankfully, he once again shook his head. "Not at all. I haven't been a stranger to rumors either. I've just never noticed people were talking about us."

Evie nodded. "Well like right now, there's a group of girls on the other bleachers who are probably watching us right now," she said, turning in that direction, and sure enough, the group of girls that were staring at them quickly looked away laughing when they turned to them. "They're not really that bad, just overly exaggerated. The worst one I've heard was that I gave you a love spell." Evie laughed at how ridiculous it sounded, but Doug didn't share her sense of humor.

When Evie realized he wasn't laughing, she looked at him concerned. Worry was written on his face. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Doug asked. The last thing he wanted was for Evie to feel so uncomfortable, she'd end their relationship.

Evie she placed her left hand on his damp and sticky cheek affectionately, her thumb gently stroking his cheeks. "Doug," she started, "I don't care about what anyone else has to say. Okay?" She gripped his hand tighter, and that was all the reassurance he needed.

"Okay," he said, removing the hand on his cheek and holding it. They heard squeals from the other side of the tourney field, and it didn't take a genius to guess it came from the group of girls.

Evie felt disappointed at the ruined moment. If only there was something she could do that would end all the rumors...

Evie met Doug's eyes and quickly moved her head forward, not giving herself a moment to hesitate. She closed her eyes and placed her lips over his. It was simple kiss, something sweet and innocent, but it still had her toes curling. A few seconds later, Evie broke it off, placing her forehead on Doug's.

"Heigh ho..." She heard him breath out, making her laugh. His eyes remained open through the kiss, memorizing the look of passion Evie had shown through those short and eternal seconds.

Squeals were heard once again, then rushed footsteps before eventually they faded away. Evie placed her head on his slightly sweaty shoulder, sighing at the beauty of the sunset. A slight breeze was pushing through, cooling down both of their heated cheeks. Evie sighed contently, grabbing Doug's hand that had somehow been released from her grasp.

Evie could practically hear the rumors that were being spread at that very moment, but she just smiled.


	5. Ancient History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doug hits a bump in the road. Now, he has to decide whether or not that bump is worth fighting against.

It went exactly how Doug expected it would.

His hand patted the pocket on his jacket, satisfied when he made contact with his cell phone. It was off; he couldn't handle any more yelling. He had reached and exceeded his arguing quota for the night, garnering a pounding headache. Thankfully, the library was empty (even though it's rarely occupied), so Doug decided to do some light reading, something to distract himself from their argument.

That was his initial intention, so why was there suddenly a copy _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ in his hands?

The book was relatively light since he grabbed the children's version of the infamous story, even though he didn't mean to. The cover was made of worn-out leather shaped with rough edges, something that was not so kid friendly. And yet, as he opened the book to its first page, there was an illustration of the Evil Queen, worshiping her reflection in the mirror. The giant calligraphy of "Once Upon A Time" stood out like a sore thumb. It was a tale as old as time, but at the moment, it seemed so foreign to Doug.

He continued to read, his eyes examining the exaggerated pictures. They depicted the Evil Queen as a grotesque human (despite being the fairest in the land for some time) and Snow White as an otherworldly being. Although she still was beautiful today, Doug could hardly call her fairest in the land.

No, that title was held by someone else who he held close to his heart.

His father, along with the other dwarfs, made an appearance a few pages later, and his mind drifted back to earlier in the day. Here on the book, he was pictured as a strapping man, his body built and ripped as a miner's should be. Obviously, it was not the truth. In reality, he was of normal height and built, perhaps a bit on the short side. His father was probably the most dim witted of the seven, but he could hardly be called stupid. Still, despite his slow reputation, his father was not someone to disrespect.

Which is why Doug found himself with a now dull headache.

It hurt to even try to remember the specifics of their fight; however, Doug couldn't lie and say his father had no right to get angry. He had every right to, in fact. If your only son told you, one day, out of the blue, that he was dating the daughter of your mortal enemy, it's understandable if you lose your temper, and that's exactly what Dopey did. He was livid, berating his son through the phone. His reprove was slightly garbled by his lisp, so he was hard to understand, but his opinion was made known.

"Don't you know who she is!" His father screamed loud and clear. This was the last thing Doug heard before he simply hung up.

This was a few hours ago when it was still daytime. He'd skipped band practice (something he feels incredibly guilty for) because he felt sick to his stomach. He spent an hour in his room in the bathroom waiting for the inevitable vomiting. Fortunately, nothing happened, but he still felt sick. He spent sometime in his dorm trying to sleep; however, he realized soon it was hopeless. Instead, he decided to rent a room in the library, some place where he'd be definitely alone (especially on a Friday) and could get his ducks in a row.

So here he is now, in solitude with the story that seemed to make his relationship with Evie impossible. It was just like any other story, an underdog/good-vs-evil archetype, but somehow, this one topped the cake of importance.

"And they lived happily ever after," Doug read aloud, grimacing at how broad those words were. Sure that tale ended, but the story didn't. In reality, there was more after 'happily ever after.' Snow was unable to have any kids, something that left her devastated, but somehow, the Evil Queen had Evie (Doug thanked fate endlessly for that). Snow had never been able to experience the joy of being a mother, but the Evil Queen had (or at least had the opportunity to).

'Happily ever after' doesn't exist, but even if it does, why should he be denied his just by an old rivalry? Sure Evie's mother tried to kill his father's friend, but that had nothing to do with Doug nor Evie. They were completely innocent and had no rivalry whatsoever. Quite the opposite, in fact. So the why couldn't his father understand it?

"Doug?" A whisper called to him at the entrance of his room. He looked up from the book to see Evie in pajamas, standing by the door frame. He put the book face down, smiling at Evie.

"Hey," she greeted, entering quietly and walking over to him. He opened his arms, and she took his invitation, sitting down on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. He did the same to her waist.

When they were situated, he replied, "Hi." She laid her head on his shoulder.

"Fairy Godmother called me and told me you were here. She wanted me to kick you out because it's almost closing time," she mused, causing Doug to laugh. "What are you still doing up?" Her voice was raspy and tired, something that sounded so enticing to Doug. Her breath was hitting his neck; as a result, a blush rose to his cheeks. He cleared his suddenly clogged throat and composed himself just before Evie lifted her head, looking down at him. She was slightly taller since she was sitting on his lap.

She had no make up on, and her hair smelled of lavender, still damp from her shower. He could see the light freckles on her cheeks, small blemishes on her nose. The small scar she has on her left eyebrow (which was usually penciled in) was now visible, along with the small bags under eyes.

She was so beautiful.

"Nothing. I was just reading." She hummed at his reply, playing with the back of his hair with her hands.

"What are you reading?" She asked. Doug smiled.

"Ancient history."


	6. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Evie and Doug go on an overdue first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little side note, Blanca Nieve is how you say Snow White in Spanish. It's not Nieve Blanca. I don't know why but the Spanish language seems to have the tendency to put colors before nouns, but every language has its quirks.

Evie stood in front of their mirror, reviewing her appearance over and over. No unibrow, her make up wasn't smeared, her dress complimented her figure, her hair was in place; she looked ok.

"Stop looking at the mirror. You're going to end up breaking it," Mal teased, causing Evie to look at her through the mirror.

"Ha ha," Evie said deadpanned. Well there went her confidence.

Mal frowned. "E, what's up?"

Evie sighed, walking away from the mirror to get the half empty bottle of water on her nightstand. "I don't know," she confessed, wrapping her lips around the straw. She pulled away, frowning at the amount of lipstick at the straw. She'll need to reapply.

"E," Mal called without saying anything, but still, her intentions came through.

"I know. I know," Evie breathed, pulling out her mirror and smoothing out her lipstick. "I ha'e no'in to worry a'out." She closed her lipstick and pulled out her gloss, dabbing some on her lips with her finger.

"Exactly," Mal confirmed, flipping mindlessly through her spell book. "So stop fidgeting. You look great."

"I thought you said I would break the mirror," Evie pointed out, snapping her mirror shut and looking at Mal. She just grinned.

"Rotten to the core," was all Mal said before a knock sounded from the door. Evie tensed, taking deep breaths and reviewed herself in the mirror. She missed a couple of hairs she needed to pluck on her eyebrows. Her mascara was too clumpy, her eyeliner wasn't even, and her eyeshadow wasn't blended well. Her dress was starting to look a little too tight on her body, outlining every single awkward roll and bump her stomach had. Her hair was starting to frizz. Why did she decide to straighten it today out of all days?

Another knock sounded, this time more hasty. Doug was starting to get nervous, and she could tell.

Evie took another deep breath and forced herself away from the mirror shining her flaws. She stumbled to the door, her legs suddenly finding her usual boots difficult to walk in. Once there, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

She was greeted with Doug's usual dorky smile that quickly fell open in shock. He just stayed staring, something Evie blushed slightly at. She didn't sheep down, though. One thing she learned through the years is confidence is the her best look.

"Heigh ho..." Doug whispered, rolling on the heels of his feet. Evie laughed. Her critiques from a few moments ago suddenly flew away, the doubt in her mind being extinguished. She felt so beautiful, so incredible, that it was shocking. But then again, Doug seemed to be able to make miracles happen. Evie felt perfect to him.

"Uh-I-um..." He stuttered, trying to keep his head on straight. "I just-I mean-uh-I... you look... wow."

Evie smiled at him. "Thank you, Doug," she spoke. Before she could return the compliment, he held his arm out to her.

"Shall we?" He asked in a strained voice. Evie took his arm.

"We shall," she said, walking away from the still open door. Mal got up and slowly closed the door behind them, fighting a smile off her face.

Evie and Doug walked down the hallway and out of the dorms, instantly being greeted with a cool breeze. Evie dressed warm in a leather blue dress and red leggings. Her knee length boots were black, as was her cape-like coat. However, the accents of her cape were yellow, a nice pop of color that seemed to compliment the colors in the outfit as well as Evie's skin tone.

She looked over to Doug. He wore a dark blue, long sleeve, button-down shirt with black slacks and suspenders. He had on a red bow tie as well as his band shoes, something Evie smiled at. Yes, they were dressed nicely and cohesively, which made Evie wonder just where Doug was taking her. He said he'd been planning their first date for the longest time, a fact Evie found endearing. Still, she was scared. She hoped he wouldn't take her out to a fancy restaurant. Although she did know table ettiequte, her knowledge was limited. The last thing she wanted to do was make a fool of herself in an environment where the people around her could already be judging her.

"So where are we going?" Evie asked, taking a deep breath. She was feeling flustered and welcomed the cool breeze with open arms.

Doug looked over to her. "Well I was going to take you some place near the outskirts of the school grounds in the forest. I hope you don't mind walking there." Then, almost as an afterthought, Doug furrowed his eyebrows. "I mean, unless you don't want to walk. Then I could always call Ben to get us a limo, or maybe you'd want a carriage? There is a hot air balloon, but the school will have to ap-"

Evie silenced him by slipping her hand in his and hugging his arm to her body. "Walking sounds great."

Doug smiled over at her, gripping her hand tighter. "Okay."

They made idle chit chat, walking out of the school's gates and into the forest. They talked about several things until they hit the subject of life science, and their conversation was undeviated. Although life science and wasn't her forte, it was something Evie loved to learn about. It fascinated her without exception, and it just so happened life science was Doug's favorite subject. It wasn't until they came across a rock wall covered in moss that Evie was lost.

"How could this..." She drifted off, but Doug understood where her head was.

"One way is through water," he explained, "if there is a continuous exposure."

"Right," Evie nodded, but one thing was wrong with that theory: there was no water. Anywhere. She heard no trickling or drops of water, and the dirt was relatively dry, meaning it hadn't rained in a long time. She concluded the water had to travel through the small cracks in the rock, but without a source, where could the water come from?

Before she could express her doubts, Doug pulled her towards the rocks, off the trail. She immediately felt the unevenness of the terrain, and Evie slightly panicked. Before, she was okay on the trail, not having any major accidents. Off trail, though, was something completely different. Rocks, pebbles, twigs, grass, hay, and anything else you could possibly imagine were wild, slippery, and dangerous. The last thing she wanted was to fall and embarrass herself, but she also didn't want to leave Doug's side for one second. She was terrified. Of exactly what, she had no idea.

They walked for a while, complete silence surrounding them. It seemed almost surreal. The only sounds heard were their footsteps, the tree branches bristling, and birds chirping every now and then. They kept walking, Doug sometimes offering his hand through particularly rough terrain. They followed the moss-covered rock wall, Evie's confusion growing. Eventually, they reached a curtain of vines that were hanging from the trees above. It wasn't until Doug pushed them away that Evie was left in awe.

Clear blue water fell from at least 100 feet high, foam and must accumulating at the splashing point. All the water traveled slightly downstream before gathering up in a small pond filled with normal pond animals (ducks, frogs, fishes, etc.). Evie let out a gasp of shock, looking over to Doug. She tried to express how beautiful this scenery was, or how touched she was that he brought her here, but all that came out was unintentional stutters. It was enough for Doug, though.

"I read about this place once in _Myths, Fables, and Fairy Tales Through the Centuries_ ," Doug explained, "I've never actually shown anyone this place, but I really wanted to bring you here."

Evie was close to tears, but there was no way she would mess up her make-up. It took her hours to perfect it, and she was not about to ruin it just minutes into their date. Instead, she just breathed out, "It's incredible."

Doug looked relieved, but Evie felt as though something was off. It was all so gorgeous and picturesque, but there was something wrong. She could hear Doug's worried breathing from behind her, and that's when it hit her.

She could hear him breathing, but she couldn't hear the water crashing. She couldn't even hear the fishes swimming in the water or the frogs splashing. The birds weren't chirping, the stream wasn't trickling; it was all so quiet that it seemed so wrong.

"Why is it so quiet?" Evie whispered, almost as if she didn't want to ruin the silence. Doug laughed nervously.

"It's a complicated story," he started, "but basically this place was cursed because it was too beautiful. The witch wanted to ruin the full beauty of this place."

Evie stayed silent for a while. "I think the silence actually makes this more visionary," she whispered, leaning her head on Doug's shoulder.

"Me too," Doug gulped, a blush rushing to his cheeks. Evie will always have that effect on him. "But, uh, I thought maybe we could have a picnic... if you want, of course."

Evie smiled at his nervousness and hugged his arm. "I would love too." With that confirmation, Doug led Evie to the other side of the pond where, under the canopy of a large tree, a small picnic was set up. An array of fruits, finger sandwiches, chocolates, smoothies, and pastries were set up eloquently. When Doug found the time to set everything up, Evie will never know, but she didn't want to know; she just wanted to relish in the feeling of being cared for.

They ate, talking about anything and everything. Doug told her the entire fable behind this place, and Evie told him about school on the island. They treaded carefully around each other until topics started to get more personal.

"I have a sister," Doug revealed.

"Really?" Evie questioned, the information news to her.

"Bieve. It's suppose to be a combination of 'blanca nieve,' which means Snow White in Spanish."

"How fitting," Evie said, a small hint of malice in her voice. "My name is a play on 'evil' and 'eve,' which I think is self explanatory."

"Before evil?" Doug questioned, not understanding the oxymoron.

Evie hummed in approval. "When I was born, mother thought it was a sign of a new generation of evil triumphing." Evie released a bitter laugh, one Doug couldn't force himself to return. "Now that I think about it, it's kind of ironic."

"I suppose so," Doug replied before they fell into silence again.

"I never had a sister," Evie spoke randomly, breaking the silence. "Mal is the closest thing I have to a sister, and I guess Jay and Carlos could be considered my brothers. Really, they're my only family."

As they were on the topic on family, curiosity pulled at Doug's head, and before he could think his thought through, words tumbled out of his mouth, "How could your mother... I mean how did you... How did someone... I-"

"How could a villain have a child? Believe it or not, villains do feel something other than evil and malice," she joked, causing a guilty grin to pass on Doug's face. "There was a time after my mother's defeat where she met someone. My father. I'm not sure who or how he was, but it doesn't really matter. I wouldn't say they loved each other, but they had some sort of feelings. A short time after, though, my mother met Maleficent, and soon, she started to fill my mother's head with revenge and hatred. Eventually, my mother was reintroduced to vanity again and left my father, but not before she was pregnant with me." Doug listened intently, noticing the various emotions passing through her face. Many showed so quickly that they almost seemed incomprehensible. Luckily, Doug wasn't as incompetent as others. He understood how hurt and confused Evie truly was. "I wonder how different our lives would've been if Maleficent hadn't of manipulated my mother." The strain on Evie's voice made Doug feel physical and emotional pain. "But then again, Mistress of Evil isn't a title you get handed to you. Manipulation is her forte."

They remained silent, mostly because they didn't know what else could be said. Evie never expressed her family history and Doug didn't know what was adequate enough to say. In the end, he forced out, "I never knew how difficult it was for you on the island."

Evie laughed. "Why would you? You heroes just tend to ignore us after your happily ever after." Doug winced at her words, and apparently, so did Evie. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so bitter," she apologized profoundly. Doug nodded.

"It's ok. This is a touchy subject."

Evie linked their hands. "How about we switch it? I don't feel like spoiling our date." Doug quickly agreed, making a mental note to stay clear of familial conversations in the future.

The sun started to set, and Doug felt the butterflies rise in his stomach. Would she like the surprise? Would she find it as fascinating as he thought she would? What if she just thought it was nerdy? What if-

"What is this?" Evie asked, looking over at the lake. Too late to avoid the situation now.

The lake started to glow an unnatural shade of blue, unnoticeably at first but as it got darker, the glow became more definite. Evie at first thought maybe they were lights Doug set up, but when she got up to move closer, she realized they were moving. They were alive.

"Bioluminescent Bacteria. Specifically  _dinoflagellate_. They're commonly known as saltwater creatures, though, so I have no idea what they're doing here," he explained, waking over towards Evie, staring at the lake. "Bacterial bioluminescence is caused by action of an enzyme called bacterial luciferase, encoded by lux gene, which also expresses enzymes for substrates of the bioluminescence reaction, like fatty aldehydes. This type of bacteria actually lives free and does not need-"

"To live in a symbiosis environment with other living interaction," she finished, causing Doug to look over at her, affection filling his face.

"Exactly."

Evie kneeled down, trying to contain the sudden urge of dipping her hands in. Instead, she opted for the silence, soaking everything about this magical scenery. "It's incredible," she spoke quietly, afraid of breaking the moment.

"I'm glad you like it," Doug said, relieved. His tone made Evie look at him.

"You thought I wouldn't?" She asked, genuinely surprised, and of course, Doug hastily stumbled to clarify his thoughts.

"N-n-no! It wasn't that! I just... I don't know... I just thought that... I-I mean-" Once again Evie interrupted him, this time silencing him by placing her lips on his, placing her hands on both of his cheeks. A short moment passed between them before it ended, Evie drawing her lips back. Doug said nothing and just looked at her, even when she cuddled next to him. Since Doug was still unresponsive, Evie took it upon herself to place herself under his arm and leaned against his body.

Doug didn't say anything. Evie just had a way of rendering him speechless.

They stayed in silence for a while, soaking up the enchanting scenery while eating whatever was left over. It was well over midnight before they decided to go back, figuring it could be potentially dangerous if they stayed deep in the woods any later. They slowly made their way back, kissing here and there (Doug finally conquering his nerves and taking the initiative to kiss her first) and overall enjoying each other's company.

They were hesitant to part, but as they were in front of Evie's dorm, they shared one last kiss before Evie walking in. She sighed and leaned against the door, raising her fingers to touch her lips. Their kisses always felt magical; there was no other way to describe it. _Was this what they called true love's kiss?_

Evie dismissed the thought as soon as it crossed her mind. It was too soon to think she was in love with Doug, let alone believe he was her true love. Still, the relentless butterflies in her stomach told her otherwise. Maybe she didn't love Doug yet, but she felt something more than just like.

One thing for sure was that Doug completely loved her without fault. He cherished her so much, and Evie wasn't ignorant to it. But despite her doubts, it was times like this when she found herself imagining herself in a wedding dress and humming 'Here Comes the Bride'.

Evie was surprised when she looked around the room and saw Mal dead asleep. She expected her best friend to be awake and eager to listen about their date; then she looked at the clock at it made sense. It was a little past four in the morning. Cautious in not to disturb her, Evie tiptoed across the room to their bathroom and took a shower as quietly as she could without the use of magic. Once she was clean, showered, and make up free, Evie laid on her bed and closed her eyes.

Sleep never came, though. Instead, when she closed her eyes, all she saw was the lake, the waterfall, the glowing bacteria, and Doug. It had been so long since she felt like this that Evie practically forgot what this feeling was. Evie forgot what it felt like to be completely loved.

She cherished the magic and butterflies for as long as she could stay conscious. Evie knew as soon as she woke up, Mal would demand every detail, and then the feeling of secrecy would vanish. But something told Evie it wasn't so much of a loss. There'd be plenty of other times and opportunities to experience this feeling after today.


	7. Family Day

Doug never imagined they'd meet like this. Never in a million years. This was not how he wanted it to happen.

It was Auradon's monthly Family Day, and Doug spent almost every second of the celebration next to Evie. Not like that was different from any other day, but today wasn't an ordinary day.

Today, Evie and Doug held hands. They danced. They hugged. They even kissed. That was how Dopey, who wasn't even supposed to be at Family Day, first saw them, and it was safe to say he was pissed.

Doug didn't want to get into detail of what happened. He didn't even want to remember it. He just wanted to stay in his room, away from all the stares and judgement.

Now he knew how Evie and her friends felt last month.

Doug winced as he felt the bruise on his arm throb. He got this when his father grabbed his arm and tried to yank Doug away from Evie.

There was a knock on the door. "Doug?" Evie asked from the other side. Doug sighed. He didn't want to open the door. A part of him just wanted to be alone by himself and try to sort out this mess, but a bigger part didn't want to ignore Evie.

He reluctantly stood up from his bed and walked over to the door. As soon as he opened it, Evie wrapped her arms around his waist and held him. It took Doug a second to realize what was happening, but when his mind caught up, he tightly returned the hug.

"Are you okay?" Evie mumbled from his chest. Doug took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry," he replied, squeezing her into his chest. Evie felt so perfect in his arms. She was perfect in every possible way. Why couldn't his father see her like he did? Instead, he had to yell at Doug in public while screaming slurs at Evie.

Evie sighed. "It's not your fault," she told him, leaning back to look at Doug. He was pale and shaking, and Evie felt scared. He looked like he would faint any second, so Evie reluctantly pried herself from his arms and walked inside his room, closing the door behind her. Doug sat back on his bed and held his arms open. Evie practically jumped into them.

She was seated on Doug's lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. He had his arms around her waist. Evie felt a strong sense of déjà vu wash over her, her mind flashing back to that time in the library when Doug seemed to be upset about something. She never did find out what had him under the weather that night, but as they sat in the same position in his bedroom with Evie trying to cheer him up, she bet her money that his father had been the cause of his gloom.

Evie sighed as she looked around Doug's room. This had actually been the first time she'd been in here. The layout of the room was the same basic layout as all of the other dorms, but the pastel color scheme in her and Mal's dorm was replaced with browns, reds, and blues. Doug also had a lot of sheet music and instruments laying around, and it smelled oddly enough like rain. His dorm was everything Evie thought it would be; she only wished she would've seen his dorm in different circumstances.

"I'm sorry," Doug said again, moving so that way they could both be laying down on his bed. Evie sighed.

"Doug, I don't blame you," she clearly said, putting her head on his chest. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I know," Doug tiredly sighed, using his right arm, the one Evie wasn't laying on, to play with Evie's hair, "but... I just... I'm sorry. He had no right to say that."

Evie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to pay attention to Doug's heartbeat, but in the end, Dopey's words kept repeating inside her head.

_Why are you kissing the kid of a villain?!_

_She doesn't even deserve to breathe!_

_That girl is nothing more than the spawn of evil!_

Eventually, the only thing Evie heard was her own heavy heartbeat. It was so loud, she could practically feel her eardrums pound to the beat. The oncoming threat of tears was almost inevitable, but Evie fought them desperately. She didn't want to cry. She couldn't. Right now, she needed to be strong for Doug. He needed support, and if Evie cried right now, then she'd only make this problem about her. Right now, Doug needed her, so she held back her tears.

She took deep breaths, slightly shaking. His words just kept echoing inside her head.

"I'm sorry," Doug whispered again, hugging Evie closer to him. It hurt him to know she was hurting, but this situation was too big for Doug to fix by himself. He needed to gather his own bearings, try to calm his father down, and make him approve of Evie who was currently trying so hard to keep him happy.

Doug sighed and closed his eyes. He felt incredibly tired, his mind weary from all of the events that occurred today. When Evie's body felt heavier and her breathing became rhythmic, Doug decided it was okay to take a small nap. Although he was never one to procrastinate, Doug decided to postpone any planning or actions to conquer this problem. The mountain was just too big for him to climb at the moment.


	8. Pennies

It took Doug a minute after he woke up to actually wake up. The first thing he laid his eyes on was his ceiling, and during that minute, he forgot about everything. He then he heard a deep sigh, felt his bed shift, and felt a body lay on top of him. That's when it came flooding back to him; the coronation, the tourney field, the forest, family day.

"How long were you awake?" Doug asked, his voice cracking at the last syllable. He needed water... and a toothbrush.

Evie sighed again. "A while." Her own voice was strained.

"Oh."

They said nothing for a while. They just laid in the silence. His room was unusually dark, the only source of light coming from a soft orange glow outside his window. The school's street lamps. So it was already night.

His roommate wasn't here. He could tell by the lack of snoring. His absence was odd, but Doug was thankful. He didn't want another presence in his solitude. He barely accepted Evie's, and he was thankful he did.

She gently laid her head on Doug's chest, and he wondered where they were going to go from here. The easiest option was to break up. It was obvious their relationship was doomed from the start. The son of a hero and the daughter of a villain, not to mention they were mortal enemies; how did they think this could work?

But it did work. They have had their problems, but they always worked through them, and they have such an influence on each other. They make each other better people. Doug has become more confident and Evie has become so incredible. She was powerful, strong, and fierce. She was absolutely perfect, and he loved her.

But did she love him?

"Penny for your thoughts?" He quickly blurted. Evie frowned. His abruptness worried her, but she decided to humor him; if he needed a distraction, she would happily give him one.

"How come when you shower, the curtain blows in instead of out?" She asked. It was something that had plagued her mind ever since she came to Auradon. Since there was almost no clean water and limited amount of showers in the Lost, its citizens weren't so big on personal hygiene. This was why Evie was wonderstruck at Auradon's complex showering system, shower curtains, and the question she was asking Doug right now.

Doug smiled. "There's actually a reason for that," he said. Finally his mind full of trivial facts was useful. "The water spray creates a vortex, and the center of the vortex is a low pressure area which sucks the shower curtain in."

Her question was not what he expected, but he was grateful for the distraction, no matter how small it was. As soon as the amusement wore off, his doubts came back.

She didn't love him. How could she? He was nothing special. He wasn't rich, valiant, strong, or royalty. He was the bottom of the barrel, the last apple already rotting on the tree. He brought her up, then brought her down in the worst way possible. He abandoned her when she needed him the most.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

But she had somehow forgave him. She gave him a second chance. She was kind, understanding, and so intelligent. Her mind was the most beautiful thing about her. Their conversations are what thrilled him the unfortunate past ultimately made her so insightful and wise, and now, she opened up to him more. He knew everything about her. Her likes, dislikes, fears, crimes, guilty pleasures; everything that made Evie Evie. He truly knew her. There was no way he was giving up on her know.

But was it worth it?

"I love the color red. It's a beautiful color." Doug made a mental note to wear red more often.

Of course it was worth it! No doubt about it. That wasn't what he was unsure about; he was doubting whether he was good enough. He wasn't good enough for anyone else, but Evie wasn't just anyone. She was the most incredible person he'd ever met. Was he good enough for her to love?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Evie frowned. She knew what was going on in his mind. Although she didn't know exactly what he was thinking, she understood enough. He was scared. She could tell by his tense body and expression.

Was he second guessing their relationship? That was the main question running through Evie's mind, and she was terrified of it. He was perfect for her. He was such a good influence. He pushed her to reach her full potential and become a better person. She absolutely loved him.

But has she ever told him that?

Evie sighed and looked up. Doug continued staring at the ceiling, but he did raise his hand to her back. It was now or never. "I love you," Evie confessed. There was a knot in her throat. She knew he loved her back, but the butterflies were relentless. She took a deep breath and repeated, "I do, Doug. I love you."

A long and heavy moment passed before Doug finally looked down and tightened his arms around her. "I love you too."

As Evie leaned in to join their lips in a kiss, a weight was lifted from both of their chests. Suddenly, everything seemed easier. It was only their parents who disapproved. They had support from their friends. They were in love. The mountain they had to climb was just a molehill.

The kiss broke, and Evie laid back. The silence settled back, but this time, it wasn't unbearable. There wasn't a sense of dread in the air; there was hope. They could get through this. Together.

Evie smiled and looked back up at Doug. "You owe me three cents."


	9. Sisters

"Excuse me? Is there anyone here?" A voice called from the front.

Evie huffed and said, "I'll help you in a minute!" She wasn't sure if the visitor heard her, but when there was no other sound, she continued stacking the fabrics. It was a tight fight, but once they fit snuggly on bookshelf, Evie sighed. Finally, they were organized.

As an early Christmas gift, Mal surprised Evie with her own design studio. It was November when Mal blindfolded and guided her to an unknown location. They walked for several minutes from their dorms to the recreational facility. Evie was shaking from both the cold and anticipation before Mal removed the piece of fabric from her eyes. Jay, Carlos, and Ben were holding a banner, but Evie didn't even spare them one glance. Her attention was focused on the room she was in.

The room was started off as a rectangle, but as she walked to the opposite side of the entrance, the room curved into a half-circle. The second floor followed the same layout. There was plenty of windows on the walls and the ceiling for natural lighting; however, there was artificial lighting installed. Evie had no idea what this room was for, but the barren clothes hangers were all she needed to figure it out. Her friends took her to the basement where she had an enormous amount of space, but the back room was her favorite part. Thirty large tables with their assigned sewing machines, sketch pads, and mannequins were spread around the room. It was one big work room with bookshelves against every wall. Most of the shelves were empty save for one with only a few bundles of fabric "to get started" as Mal put it.

It was unbelievable. Mal knew Evie wanted to pursue fashion, and she had mentioned to Doug recently how she wanted to start her own clothing line, but she never thought they would ever do something like this.

They all went back to the main room. Ben had just pulled out bottles of champagne to celebrate when Doug came in. He was still sweating in his band uniform, but Evie skipped over to hug him. When they parted, Doug kissed her and then walked her over to her friends. They all sat in a circle on the floor with their glasses, talking and laughing about whatever came to their mind.

Only a month had passed, but during that short amount of time, Evie stayed busy. She spent her savings on fabric, and soon, her bookshelves were filled. As customers came to her, she bought even more fabric and filled half of the basement. She didn't have an actual retail shop open yet, but as she worked on stocking up her merchandise, she took special orders. At first, it was just Lonnie, Audrey, and her other classmates, but then Fairy Godmother came and asked for a dress for a ball Cinderella was hosting. From then, it was nothing but sewing.

She stuck to women's apparel, but last week, Evie had finished creating tuxes for Jay and Carlos. The two were invited to the end-of-the-year Auradon Tourney Banquet (Jay was ranked as the MVP and Carlos was given the Rookie of the Year award), and Evie had to admit they both looked nice. She was contemplating whether or not she should branch out to men's apparel. Just formal wear because she didn't exactly know men's fashion. Once she was more educated on the field, then she'll move on from there.

Once she was sure the fabrics would not fall off the shelves, Evie sighed then smiled. She had the best friends. And the best best friend. And the best boyfriend.

She dusted her hands and clothes to remove the glitter. The fabrics she handled were covered with it. She wasn't a glitter person herself, but Audrey was, and Audrey was her best customer. Then again, that was expected. Audrey liked to stay with the "in" trends, and although Evie was new in the fashion industry, it was clear her clothes were going to be the new style. Just like Evie, the clothes were daring and edgy. She drew inspiration from her home, the Isle, and since it was nothing like Auradon had ever seen before, Evie knew she would make a statement.

As she walked to the main room, Evie noticed the amount of empty space. Yes, there were tons of materials, machines, and half-dressed mannequins, but the echo of her heels reminded her how alone she was. And if her clothes were going to be a big hit, then there was no way she could keep her supply up with the demand. Maybe she should start looking for help. She couldn't afford to hire people, so her mind wandered to mice. Maybe they were as good as the stories say they are.

As Evie exited the back room, she took one look back at her clothes. She was wearing a pair of red overalls with a simple blue sleeveless turtleneck. She had her hair up in a slick ponytail. Despite the natural lighting, it was unusually cold in her studio, so Evie liked to dress warmly and comfortably. After all, this was where she spent most of her time.

As she continued dusting off the glitter, Evie made her way to the middle of the floor to the cash register, or at least what was supposed to be the cash register. She had yet to set up any retail equipment, but she saw the layout in her head, and that was all she needed. She finally looked up and smiled, but she froze when she saw who her customer was.

She didn't have her signature dress on, but Evie recognized her instantly. Lips as red as a rose, hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow.

Snow White smiled. "Good morning! Are you Evie?" she asked. It was strange to hear her name in that high pitched voice.

"Y-yes," she cautiously said. Snow White was the last person she ever expected to meet. Yes, she was dating Doug, the son of Dopey, but his father hated her. She never expected to meet Doug's parents, so how could she possibly meet Snow White, the only possible connection they had?

"Wonderful. You're just the person I need."

Evie's heart stopped. "I am?"

"Yes, I've heard so much about you!"

"You have?"

"How could I not?" That was true. How did Evie expect to stay off of Snow's radar forever? "You're the one who did Princess Mal's coronation dress?"

Evie released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Right! Yes! I did her dress!"

Snow clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "It was love at first sight!" She exclaimed in a dreamy voice. "And just recently, Fairy Godmother wore you to Cinderella's ball, and I knew I had to find you. I was wondering if you could design a dress for my 25th wedding anniversary? My husband and I will be renewing our vows."

Evie blinked. Was she being serious? Did she want the daughter of her mortal enemy designing her dress? Unless... "Of course. Umm..." Unless she didn't know who Evie was. "Let's just sketch something. Do you have an idea of what you would like?" Of course she had to know. The entire world knew Ben enrolled the four in Auradon Prep to assimilate them. How could Snow not know who she was?

Snow sighed. "I'm afraid I am lost with the design," she said, a frown on her face. She never took her eyes off of Evie. Did she really not know?

Evie nodded, ignoring her nerves and focusing on the task at hand. This was a situation she loved and hated: an unsure customer. Loved because that meant she had creative freedom to come up with whatever she wanted. Hated because unsure customers were the most picky. But this was Snow White, the Queen who was known for being the fairest and the kindest in the land.

Evie already had a design in mind for Snow, but she stayed silent. Snow didn't know what she wanted, but that didn't mean she didn't have specific likes, and that's what Evie's job was: help Snow discover what she wanted.

"Well, we could look at fabrics first," Evie offered. "If there's a specific fabric you like, we could work from there." Snow nodded, and Evie smiled. "Perfect. Follow me to the back please."

And with that, Evie led Snow to her workroom. She walked stiffly, her heels falling with chopped noises. Snow, however, floated across the floor, her heels barely making a sound. It was incredible how calm she was in this situation. Did she really not know who Evie was? She had to, and if not her, then someone around her had to tell her. She just _had_ to know.

Evie opened the door and motioned Snow to walk in first. Despite who she was, Snow was still a customer, and customer service was something Evie prided herself in. If she could be nice with Audrey, Mal's sworn enemy and the person who stole Chad from her (although, that was a blessing in disguise), then she could be nice to Snow White, someone who had done nothing to her. It wasn't that simple though. Although Snow did nothing to Evie, she did do something to her mother. Because of that, her mother raised Evie to hate Snow. Every day, the Evil Queen would show Evie a picture of a young Snow White and make her draw comparisons. Evie had to lie through her teeth and tell her mother she was fairer, and Evie couldn't help but hate Snow. She was the reason why her mother was a villain. She was the reason why Evie was neglected and tormented for so long.

Evie took a deep breath. _No, Evie,_ she scolded herself. _Be nice. Be nice._

Snow gasped when she entered. It must've been Wonderland for her to be surrounded by so many fabrics. Evie could tell she was overwhelmed, but luckily, Evie had just finished organizing the fabrics this morning. Now, she had them color coordinated in a rainbow order from left to right. Only some of the blues and all of the purples were in the basement.

"What color would you like your dress?" Evie asked. It would take too long to look through every fabric, and although Evie didn't want to sound rude, she did have other orders to finish. She couldn't spend all day with Snow looking at colors.

Thankfully, Snow knew what color she wanted. "White."

Evie nodded then led her to the bookshelves directly on their left. "White or Ivory?" She asked. Although the two colors looked similar, they made a world of difference in bridal fashion.

"White," Snow specified. Thankfully, that limited their selection to six bookshelves.

"Well, this is all I have in white," Evie motioned. Snow nodded, but Evie noticed she kept her eye on one fabric. Evie movies toward it and pulled it from the shelf. "This is tulle. Usually, it is used under a dress to add layers and puff the bottom out," Evie explained, and although the smile remained on Snow's face, her demeanor changed. Evie started to panic. Did she finally figure it out? Was she going to freak out like Aurora's mother did at Family Day? "What's wrong?"

Snow blinked. "Oh my, it's nothing," she dismissed, but after a moment, Snow sighed and said, "It's just that… well… let me show you."

Snow reached into her purse. It was navy blue with a big red bow in the front and yellow accents. It was cute, and that got Evie thinking about accessories. Should she start designing them? How about shoes? She only knew how to make clothes, but the Internet was incredible. She could easily learn from it.

"Aha!" Snow exclaimed as she pulled out her phone. She spent a few seconds fiddling with the device before huffing and saying, "I could never work this contraption. My husband bought it for me, but I'm afraid I never got the hang of it."

Evie chuckled before putting the tulle back in its rightful place. She held out her hand. "May I?" she asked. Snow looked over at her and smiled.

"Please do." Evie grabbed the phone, careful not to touch her hand. She unlocked the phone then looked back at Snow. "What were you going to do?"

"Oh, I was going to show you a picture of my previous dresses." Evie nodded and opened her photos. She gave the phone back Snow. "Thank you," she said before scrolling down. She didn't have much photos. Once she reached the bottom, she tapped on the photo and showed it to Evie. "This was my first wedding dress."

Evie took one look at it and said, "Wow." Snow giggled.

There was really nothing else she could say. Her dress was extravagant. It was a great ball gown that swallowed her up. It was made out of raw silk, tulle, organza, and some other fabrics Evie couldn't recognize from the picture. There was lace, pearls, diamonds, butterflies, and other embellishments. The bottom of the dress had pick ups with real flowers. There were layers, ruffles, and folds throughout the dress. It had sleeves and a dramatic train trailing behind for what seemed like miles. This was definitely not Evie's style, but she had to admire the craftsmanship of the dress. She could only imagine the amount of time and patience it took to make a dress as detailed as this.

Snow minimized the picture and moved to another one. "This was from my 10th anniversary."

This dress was drastically different. There was no frills, petticoat, or diamonds involved. It was a simple, tight dress made of raw silk that clung to her petite frame. There were absolutely no embellishments. It was just a simple white gown, but it still looked beautiful. It was all fabric, but Snow made it look incredible.

"As you can see, it is extremely different," Snow said. Evie nodded and remained silent. She could tell Snow was hiding something, and she had an idea what it was.

"You didn't like either dress."

Snow sighed. "They are not ugly dresses," she said. Evie nodded. No they weren't ugly dressed. They were beautiful in their own unique way. "It's just…"

After a moment of silence, Evie finished, "It wasn't your dress."

"Exactly."

As soon as Snow agreed, Evie's design flashed into her head, then to her mother. Evie could picture the hatred twisted on her mother's face, the amount of facial procedures she received just to be the fairer than the woman standing next to her right now, a woman who was asking for Evie's help. Could she really help her? Evie couldn't put away the past. Her past defined her. Their past defined all of them. How could she ever forget that?

Evie clenched her jaw. How could Snow not know who she is? Evie spent years learning everything about Snow White: her voice, facial feature, likes, dislikes, allies, and anything else that her mother knew.

_Knowledge is power, and that power will help me finally end that wretched girl's life and exact my revenge!_

Evie could still hear her mother's words clearly. They were the words she used to live by. Snow White was the person Evie was supposed to hate, but as she looked at Snow's sullen face, Evie couldn't feel any hatred. All she felt was shame and embarrassment. She grew up hating a complete stranger.

Maybe it was because of what had recently happened. Maybe it was because she was dating Doug. Maybe it was because she was becoming a better person. Maybe it was because they were talking about fashion. Whatever it was, Evie smiled, walked to an empty table, pulled out two seats, and grabbed her sketch book.

"Well," Evie said as Snow sat down, "let's talk about what you like from both dresses."

It was a good place to start. As Snow started picking out details, Evie wrote them down, and as they picked more, Evie's initial design kept popping into her head.

"I do have one request," Snow said as Evie was writing. "Although I am not a teenager, I am not an old lady." The two laughed, and even though Evie felt slightly awkward, she didn't exactly hate the feeling.

"You want something age-appropriate, but not old-fashioned," Evie clarified.

"Exactly." That was all Evie needed to grab a pencil and start sketching.

"I have this design in mind for you," she told Snow. She first drew a v-neck with a bodice that ended at the waist. The skirt flowed out slightly so that the dress wouldn't be a ballgown nor a tight gown. Then, she drew the back. It followed the same format except the v-neck fell all the way to the waist, exposing her back. Evie then drew a closer look at the bodice to showcase a symmetrical flower pattern that started from the straps and followed down to the bottom of the dress. In fact, Evie had a sample of the applique, so she stood up, walked to a table on the opposite side of the room, fished through the drawers, then came back with the applique in hand. She added a few more notes before sliding the page over to Snow.

"It will be a simple a-line dress with a v-neck. The back of the dress would follow the same format, which would leave your back open," Evie explained as she pointed to each aspect. "If you are comfortable with it, I would like to have the bodice see through with only this," Evie handed her the applique, "on the top. Of course I'll add fabric to cover the necessities, but your stomach, torso, and back will show. It will end, though, at your waist, and this applique will flow down to the bottom like vines."

Evie stayed silent as she let Snow take in the information, but she knew Snow liked it.

"I love it!"

Scratch that. She loved it.

And Evie loved it too. This was her first wedding dress. She had been hoping Mal's wedding dress would be her first, but that day wasn't happening any time soon. They barely started dating, Mal wasn't ready to be queen, and Ben was too scared to ask her. It was frustrating, but Evie knew better than to push Mal.

Besides, Mal would never wear anything like this. She was more on the modest side… well, as modest as a villain can be. The more fabric, the better. She would never wear a v-neck this low. Evie had to beg her to wear an open back for the coronation dress, and she highly doubted she would succeed a second time. And she could forget about the see through bodice. Mal also hated flowers, and the color white in general. Evie frowned. How would she convince Mal to wear a wedding dress?

"And how would you do this?" Snow asked, bringing Evie out of her thoughts. She would worry about Mal later. Right now, as strange and unbelievable as it seems, Snow White was her client, not Mal.

Evie grabbed the applique Snow held out. "It will have to be by hand," she started before explaining in detail, "I'd have to make the applique by getting pieces of lace, adding the beads and crystals, and then hand sew it to the fabric of the dress." She went back to the bookshelf and grabbed the tulle Snow liked. "I'll use the tulle you picked out for the bottom of the dress only. I could use this tulle for the top, but it would be slightly uncomfortable, so I'll have to use silk organza. Unfortunately, I don't have that fabric right now, so I'll have to order it, but it looks the same as tulle except it's a bit more stronger and glittery than the tulle you chose."

Snow touched the tulle fabric and then the applique before looking back to Evie. "Will you finish on time?"

Evie frowned. She was an idiot! How could she forget to ask about the date? Sure she was completely knocked sideways when Snow, her mortal enemy, asked for a dress, but that's no excuse. The date should be the first thing a seamstress asks a client. How could she promise a dress when there was a chance she wouldn't finish it on time? "When do you plan to renew your vows?"

It was strange, though, how easy it was to talk to her know. Sure, Evie felt like she was walking on glass, but she couldn't lie and said it wasn't worth the effort. Besides her mother, Snow was technically the only family she had. Although Mal was her sister by choice, Snow was Evie's biological half-sister, and she never had a conversation like this with her family. It was nice.

"Next year on December 28th."

Evie nodded, mostly in relief but she didn't show it. "I'll have it done by then," she assured. A smile erupted on Snow's face. "The time is no issue, so would you like this design?"

Snow nodded eagerly. "Yes!" She exclaimed. "I love it! Thank you!"

Evie nodded then grabbed the measuring tape from her pocket. She asked Snow to stand still and look straight ahead. Evie measured her waist, chest, arm length, arm span, torso length, leg length, body height, and body width. She was surprised to see they had almost the exact measurements. The only difference was that Evie's chest was a few inches bigger.

Once Evie wrote all the measurements on the back of her sketch, she turned back to Snow. "I'll need you to come for a fitting in about 2-3 weeks, if you don't mind," she asked with a smile on her face. It was getting easier to smile around Snow.

"Of course not! I'll be delighted!" And Evie was getting used to her voice, her presence. "As for the price?"

"You could pay for it now, or in payments as time passes, or all at the end. Whichever you prefer."

Snow nodded. "How much will this cost?"

Evie almost rolled her eyes. How could she forget to mention the cost? With the amount of fabric, the type of fabric being used, embellishments like beads and crystals, and the amount of labor, a dress like this could easily be $6,000, but Evie smiled and said, "$2,000."

"Really?" Snow asked cautiously. Obviously, she thought the price was too good to be true. "But I can only imagine the work you will need to do to complete this dress."

Evie laughed. "You give me too much credit. It's just a dress." She paused for a second. "Besides, this is what I love to do. It's priceless to me." And she meant it, too. Sewing was one of the many things her mother forced her to perfect, but Evie never thought it would become her passion, and she had Ben to thank for it. Because of his kindness, he gave her the opportunity to become something more than a trophy, a housewife, a villain. He gave her a second chance.

And maybe that's what Snow was. Maybe her oblivion was a way for Evie to make up for their past.

Evie went over a few more details and answered whatever questions Snow had before walking her back to the main floor. Everything was settled, and once Snow handed Evie a bag with the money, everything was official.

"Thank you very much," Snow said as they walked to the exit. They stopped just before. "You are a kind person."

"Thank you," Evie whispered before clearing her throat and saying, "I will see you soon. Have a wonderful day."

This went well. Sure, it was awkward, and Evie was far from prepared for this moment, but it couldn't have gone better. At least there was no screaming, crying, or panic. Snow was nice, Evie was civilized, and all that had to be done was done. Evie will tell her the truth later.

Satisfied, Evie sighed in content. She was glad they got this moment over with... so why wasn't Snow leaving?

There was still a smile on Snow's face, but her expression changed from delight to knowing. "Dopey called me." Evie felt her heart stop. "He asked me to talk some sense into Doug about how evil you truly were, but it just didn't sit well with me. I never judge someone I've never met before."

Snow knew. Of course she had to. Who was Evie kidding? There was no way Snow wouldn't know who she was. How could she be stupid and naive enough to think otherwise.

"I'm so sorry," Evie blurted out before she could process her words. "What my mother did was-"

"Not your fault," Snow finished. A knot was caught in Evie's throat. She could only stay silent as Snow walked to her. Evie expected her to walk past her or even hit her just to get even, but all Snow did was place a gentle hand on Evie's shoulder. "You are not like her, and I can see that. I don't blame you for anything."

Snow would never know how much her words affected Evie, and Evie would never admit it, but those words took an enormous weight off her shoulders. It was a relief. Evie didn't know why (she would figure it out later when she over analyzed this conversation), but she couldn't deny it. She was glad and thankful Snow White, the person her mother tried to kill in the name of beauty, did not vilify her.

"Thank you," Evie got out, and when nothing else was said, Snow took action and wrapped her arms tightly around Evie. Otherwise caught Evie off guard for a second, but soon, Evie found herself hesitantly returning the hug. Evie was a physical person, but she wasn't sure how she should react.

With a sigh, Evie relaxed and placed her chin on Snow's shoulder. "I'll talk to Dopey and see if I can change his mind," Snow said.

"You will?" Evie asked quietly. After all, she was next to Snow's ear. There was no need to shout, even if she was feeling happy. Or hopeful. Or excited. Or grateful. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Snow replied before pulling away. "Consider it a favor for family. After all, sisters need to stick together." And with a wink, she opened the door and walked out.

Evie stood still, staring at the door long after it closed. Finally, when she finished processing what happened, she walked to her workshop and sighed. That went much better than what she expected.

She grabbed her sketchpad and sat down. She threw the bag full of money on the desk, but she cringed when it crashed loudly on the table. That was odd. Was it supposed to make that sound? The bag did feel heavy, but then again, Evie never held $2,000 in her hand before; she had no idea how it was supposed to weigh.

Evie dropped the pad and reached for the bag. She untied the knot, opened the bag, and saw it filled to the brim with gold coins. Evie wanted to turn the bag upside down and throw all its contents on the table, but she resisted the temptation. Besides, even though she couldn't tell exactly how much there was, Evie knew there had to be about $30,000.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. Even though it wasn't sunset yet, Evie turned off the lights and locked up her studio early, and made her way to the tourney field where the band would end their practice in a few minutes. She couldn't wait to tell Doug about their surprising ally. Then, a moment later, she laughed. And she definitely couldn't wait to tell Mal how the meeting with her mortal enemy went _so_ much better than hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to address certain things. First of all, I'm not sure how old Snow is. I'm placing her at around 35 years old. She is the youngest out of all the princesses. Another thing is I'm not sure how they handle money in Auradon. It's obvious they pay in gold coins, but I'm not sure what the value is, so I'm using US dollar value but with gold coins as currency. Finally, I'm not sure when Snow gets married. When the prince breaks the spell and takes her to the castle, it looks like it's spring or summer. I know they probably got married right away, but I'd like to think they got to know each other before they tied the knot. I hope no one minds.
> 
> The dress I'm describing is an Eve of Milady, so as expected, it's pricey, romantic, and beautifully crafted. I thought it was fitting for Evie. The style number is 1556. For some reason, I couldn't paste a link, so if anyone wants to see the dress, just search up 'Eve of Milady 1556' and it'll come up.


End file.
